You Can Smell Like Vladimir Putin This Christmas

A new scent inspired by the Russian has notes of citrus and a hint of thuggish aggression

A new perfume inspired by Vladimir Putin’s manly charm called “Leaders Number One” was unveiled in Moscow on Thursday. A reporter for the Russian publication Komsomolskaya Pravda got a whiff of the scent and claims the top notes for the perfume include lemon, bergamot and black currant. “At first, there’s a citrus hint, then the scent opens up to smell like cedar. Then a little bit of musk and mung bean. Women will love this scent even more than men,” the reporter said.

The sleek, glass bottle features a dramatic silhouette of the Russian president’s face with text in English that reads “Inspired by Vladimir Putin.” The concoction is being sold at a kiosk in the Moscow mall GUM and is also available to order online.

The perfume is a partnership between the international magazine Leaders and Belarusian perfumer Vladislav Rikunov, who created the scent. Only 1,000 limited edition bottles are being sold until January 20th at a price tag of 6,000 rubles, or $85 USD, a pop, Metro News reported.

Maksim Famichev, executive editor of Leaders magazine, said on Russian news channel Russia24 he wanted to bring the perfume industry back to the good old days when government officials were the inspiration behind the scents, as opposed to celebrities and athletes, who now make up the majority of the endorsements in the perfume market. “We decided that with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin’s ratings, we had someone we could dedicate a men’s scent to,” he said.

Translation: “The perfume inspired by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unveiled in Moscow under the name “Leaders Number One”. The perfume’s creator Vladislav Rikunova was inspired by the Russian leader’s personality when making the scent.

The price of a bottle is almost 6,000 rubles for 100 millimeters. It’s a limited edition item, only 1,000 are being released.”